Grizzlies counting on Darius Morris to contribute at point guard with Conley injured

Philadelphia 76ers point guard Darius Morris (7) goes to the basket in the second half of an NBA basketball game against the New Orleans Pelicans in New Orleans, Saturday, Nov. 16, 2013. The Pelicans won 135-98. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

The point guard situation without Mike Conley has been sort of like playing "Wheel of Fortune" for Grizzlies coach Dave Joerger.

It is almost as if the roster spins with the anticipation of landing on a lucky backcourt configuration.

Rookie Nick Calathes has filled in competently as the default starter for Conley (grade 2 right ankle sprain) so far. Joerger, though, has rolled the dice with several unconventional ways to compensate for the loss of Conley's floor leadership and scoring.

Morris didn't see any time Monday night in Memphis' loss at Oklahoma City. However, Joerger said Tuesday that Morris wasn't brought in to just sit on the bench. Morris is going to be counted on as a solid rotation player going forward.

"He's going to have to play and he's going to have to play well," Joerger said. "These are five very important games for us (going into the All-Star break). This one against Dallas (Wednesday night in FedExForum) counts as two. And the four games against the Eastern Conference teams before we go into the break are going to determine how well we're going to have to do the last 30 games of the year. This is an extremely critical stretch in our season and so Darius Morris is going to have to play."

Morris most recently spent two 10-day stints with the Los Angeles Clippers. The Griz contend he is ready to step in right away and contribute with meaningful minutes because of his recent NBA experience, size and attention to detail on defense.

"I watch a lot of basketball so I know they really got it going, especially since late December," Morris said about his preparation to join the Griz. "They play through their bigs. They have great bigs. I'm just excited to be here. They play really good defense and that's something I can do as well. I'm just trying to be solid. I just try to play-make on both ends of the court. I try to hustle really hard and be a good piece for the team."

Morris, albeit a player still trying to establish himself, is a welcome addition for several reasons.

The Griz can curb Courtney Lee's minutes at point guard, which can't be understated given his already difficult transition. Lee's struggled with his shot since Conley went down.

"I'm still picking up plays at the two and now I'm trying to get the one down," Lee said. "I'm doing everything on the fly trying to learn as much as possible. It's a huge adjustment."

With Morris in the fold, Joerger can also stop using makeshift combinations to spell Calathes or compensate for his deficiencies.

Rookie Jamaal Franklin has been thrust into the backup role at point guard a time or two. That hasn't worked too well. But Franklin's only point guard experience in life has been the third-string minutes he's received in practice since the start of last month.

Joerger's relied on his wing players plenty, too. At Oklahoma City, there were long stretches when no true point guard was on the floor for Memphis. James Johnson or Mike Miller or Tayshaun Prince brought the ball up the floor.

"I was trying to get Courtney some rest, knowing I would play him at point guard in the second half," Joerger said.

Buying time now rests with Morris.

"He just needs to give us support, and come in and be a good defender," Joerger said. "I want him to push the basketball and be who he is, and that's an athletic, big point guard. We don't really need the scoring. We just need him to be relaxed and pick up stuff quickly."